It’s the Oprah Winfrey show, Olympic style

October 01, 2009

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Want a picture with Oprah? She’s holding court in the restaurant. Interested in talking to a Dream Teamer or a Perfect 10? David Robinson and Nadia Comaneci are roaming the halls. How about a meeting with the first lady? If you’re an International Olympic Committee member, it’s a good bet Michelle Obama could work you in.

With the hours dwindling before the 2016 games are awarded, Chicago leaders were doing another hard sell Thursday, trying to win over few more voters and hold onto those who already like them.

“Everybody is thinking positively about their own city,” said Anita DeFrantz, one of the United States’ two IOC members. “The question is, can anybody make a better case for a better city?”

Chicago is considered a favorite going into Friday’s IOC vote, but plenty of front-runner cities have wound up watching someone else celebrate. Rio de Janeiro has a compelling argument, asking the IOC to take the games to South America for the first time while Madrid has the backing of former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch, still a powerful figure.

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And Tokyo has pushed the safety and financial security of its proposal.

“There are four great choices,” Robinson said. “Obviously, we’re here to talk about the merits of Chicago.”

And talking they were.

The first lady arrived Wednesday and has spent much of her time meeting one-on-one with IOC members in a private suite at the official hotel. The sit-downs are brief but give her an opportunity to share her story — she grew up on the city’s South Side, near where most of the venues would be — and assure IOC members that Chicago is sincere about its desire to use the Olympics to inspire children and transform their lives.

It’s the same message she gave Wednesday night at a dinner with Chicago supporters.

“I was moved,” Winfrey said. “And they already had my vote.”

While the first lady was closeted away, Chicago dispatched its big names to drum up support. As word spread that Winfrey would be arriving at the main hotel, the lobby filled and even IOC members seemed eager to catch a glimpse of the TV star. She couldn’t take more than a step or two without someone snapping a photo — even the secretary of Carlos Arthur Nuzman, head of Rio’s bid, who was there to take a photo for a friend posing with Winfrey.

Moving into the restaurant, Winfrey chatted with IOC executive board member Gerhard Heiberg and Sam Ramsamy, an IOC member from South Africa. And posed for more pictures.